tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8912756.post478649868563566182..comments2016-09-14T09:46:34.432-04:00Comments on Hoopinion: Atlanta Hawks analysis. Full of optimism.: Hawks Could Be Back In Hunt For Dwight HowardBret LaGreehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12000566742639583055noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8912756.post-10241523387193177312012-04-25T00:58:32.140-04:002012-04-25T00:58:32.140-04:00Meant to say &quot;and REGRET encouraging Josh to ...Meant to say &quot;and REGRET encouraging Josh to stay on the perimeter more.&quot;Buddyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17922712364080112515noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8912756.post-89833954451829658032012-04-25T00:57:29.721-04:002012-04-25T00:57:29.721-04:00&quot;Both guys will demand the ball in the post, ...&quot;Both guys will demand the ball in the post, which isn&#39;t exactly a great option when the best perimeter player has been traded to the opposing team.&quot;<br /><br />How much does Josh demand the ball in the post now? Dwight wants to be a featured player, and I seriously doubt Josh would have a problem with Dwight getting most of the touches in the paint.<br /><br />You&#39;re certainly correct that the Hawks would miss Joe&#39;s outside shooting (and encouraging Josh to stay on the perimeter more). But the combination of the best defensive center in the NBA with the best defensive power forward in the NBA would make up for a lot of shortcomings.Buddyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17922712364080112515noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8912756.post-50227231675173772602012-04-25T00:52:36.337-04:002012-04-25T00:52:36.337-04:00Furthermore, Dwight said that when he was in a com...Furthermore, Dwight said that when he was in a completely different situation, holding massive leverage by virtue of being able to opt out at the end of the season. None of his original preferred destinations seems likely to land him now because Orlando has the leverage of having him under contract for an entire season. The Nets and Mavs have poor trade assets. He apparently doesn&#39;t want to play for the Lakers. <br /><br />This is a completely different scenario now, and if the Hawks were willing to gamble on a half-season rental of Dwight, you better believe they will gamble on a full-season rental.<br /><br />&quot;The Hawks best option is to trade Josh Smith before the deadline.&quot;<br /><br />Unless the Hawks got All-Star talent in return for Josh, an unlikely scenario, I doubt the Hawks make the playoffs without him.Buddyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17922712364080112515noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8912756.post-78683334337224559212012-04-25T00:23:55.963-04:002012-04-25T00:23:55.963-04:00As far as what Marvin has to fear, if he knows he&...As far as what Marvin has to fear, if he knows he&#39;s not in the Hawks&#39; plans after next season, he can blow off one season with a lottery team then go on the open market, or he can opt out and find a long term deal with a team that has him in its plans. I would think there must be some appeal in testing the market sooner rather than later.<br /><br />&quot;If Dwight Howard has publicly said he&#39;s not interested in Atlanta, he&#39;s not going to be here.&quot;<br /><br />Dwight said that before his reputation took a massive hit thanks to SVG. He opted in to placate Orlando&#39;s fans and not become LeBron James, then got stabbed in the back. He&#39;s hurting. He needs to find a new NBA home that can restore him to hero status. He would instantly take the Hawks, a decent team that under-performs at the gates, and make them an automatic sellout. Hero status re-affirmed.Buddyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17922712364080112515noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8912756.post-25802067984384908162012-04-24T23:55:22.350-04:002012-04-24T23:55:22.350-04:00&quot;Why would Marvin fear amnesty vs. The fear o...&quot;Why would Marvin fear amnesty vs. The fear of the amount of cash he could leave on the table if he chose to opt out. At worst he plays for a lottery team for 2 season at a guaranteed $8 million per i guess.&quot;<br /><br />At the end of the 2012/2013 season, Marvin will have a player option for on year at $7.5M remaining. Golden State gave Kwame Brown a $7M contract last offseason. Marvin would undoubtedly command a multi-year deal on the open market for no less than the mid-level exception. <br /><br />Thus, if Marvin opted in for the final year, the Hawks could Amnesty him and possibly see a team under the cap bid $5M for the last year of the contract, saving the ASG money and freeing up $7.5M in cap space.Buddyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17922712364080112515noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8912756.post-7226633542590142012012-04-24T16:27:14.813-04:002012-04-24T16:27:14.813-04:00For as great as D-12 might be in filling seats in ...For as great as D-12 might be in filling seats in ATL, I wonder how he would play alongside Josh Smith. This is no longer AAU Celtics ball where both players can simply out-athletic the competition. This is an era where both players need to spend time in the paint breaking down their opponents (and please don&#39;t tell me that J-5 is a perimeter player). J-5 isn&#39;t simply going to clean up D-12&#39;s garbage with put-back dunks and tip-ins or visa versa. Both guys will demand the ball in the post, which isn&#39;t exactly a great option when the best perimeter player has been traded to the opposing team. If anything J-5 is the player that needs to be moved and Big Al needs to be retained!Kyle D'Mellowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01369236426163275920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8912756.post-49811946970481526752012-04-24T12:57:38.144-04:002012-04-24T12:57:38.144-04:00I usually enjoy your articles, and your often corr...I usually enjoy your articles, and your often correct criticisms of the Hawks. But this is beyond wishful thinking to the point of ludacris. If Dwight Howard has publicly said he&#39;s not interested in Atlanta, he&#39;s not going to be here. Howard is the typical front runner who wants his names up in lights (Ala Brooklyn Nets). And the only reason J Smoove is in ATL is the Hawks matching the Memphis Grizzlies offer when he was a restricted free agent. And if you think the Hedo contract is bad give Joe Johnson three more years when he can barely average 16 points and will be making $20 million a year. Unfortunately, the brightest outlook is keeping the core we have if Josh Smith suffers amnesia and resigns long term. Joe Johnsons contract is a death sentence to our pay roll. The Hawks best option is to trade Josh Smith before the deadline next season to a non contending team for a true center, if Demarcus Cousins is an option then Atlanta should go for it, or maybe send him to the Clippers for Deandre Jordan.Hawks&amp;Dawgshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15736147631285222814noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8912756.post-76556930220901516982012-04-24T12:48:08.273-04:002012-04-24T12:48:08.273-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.Hawks&amp;Dawgshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15736147631285222814noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8912756.post-28059544996171992132012-04-24T12:25:27.207-04:002012-04-24T12:25:27.207-04:00Wishful indeed.One snag i see is why would Marvin ...Wishful indeed.One snag i see is why would Marvin fear amnesty vs. The fear of the amount of cash he could leave on the table if he chose to opt out. At worst he plays for a lottery team for 2 season at a guaranteed $8 million per i guess. Or he could go to a decent team. If he opts out(i guess he can opt out now) he&#39;s not getting more than 5 million per i think. That&#39;s 6 million he could lose out on in those 2 seasons. So we are stuck with Marvin unless a trade happens.Xavierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05292355642716305495noreply@blogger.com